Botswana adopts Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining initiative

February 14, 2017

The Botswana Chamber of Mines (BCM) today announced that it will adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining® (TSM) initiative, a corporate social responsibility program developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) to improve environmental and social practices in the mining industry.

This is first time that TSM has been adopted by a mining association in Africa, and the third to do so outside of Canada. FinnMin, the Finnish Mining Association, adopted TSM in November 2015 and the Cámara Argentina de Empresarios Mineros (CAEM), the Argentinean Chamber of Mining Entrepreneurs, adopted the initiative in October 2016.

MAC and its members launched TSM in 2004. Implementation of the program is mandatory for all MAC members’ Canadian operations, but many voluntarily apply it to their international sites. MAC freely shares TSM with other countries seeking tools to improve the environmental and social performance of their mining industries, including engagement with civil society and enhanced transparency and accountability.

TSM requires mining companies to annually assess their facilities’ performance across six important areas, including tailings management, community outreach, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management, and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management. The results are freely available to the public and are externally-verified every three years to ensure what has been reported is accurate. While BCM will tailor its performance areas so that they reflect the unique aspects of its domestic mining sector, they will be at a similar level to those of Canada’s.

To ensure TSM reflects the expectations of civil society and industry stakeholders, it was designed and continues to be shaped by an independent, multi-interest advisory panel. As part of its implementation, BCM will implement a similar advisory body to provide this valuable oversight function.

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“Botswana Chamber of Mines members subscribe to the principles of responsible mining and extraction of minerals from the earth. The adoption of TSM will enable the industry to demonstrate adherence to sound and sustainable minerals development practices and strive towards continual improvement,” said Charles Siwawa, CEO, BCM.

“With Botswana’s adoption of Towards Sustainable Mining, the program is now in four countries on four continents, clearly establishing TSM as an emerging global standard. It is our privilege to share our tools and expertise in sustainable and responsible mining practices with a country that is making important strides in sustainable mining development,” said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO, MAC.

“Canada is very pleased that the Mining Association of Canada and the Botswana Chamber of Mines are working together on the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative. This initiative reflects Canada's strong relationship with Botswana and our commitment to support the sustainable development of Botswana's mining sector,” said His Excellency Kumar Gupta, Ambassador of Canada to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Angola.

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ABOUT BCM

Botswana Chamber of Mines is an organisation that represents the interest of the mining industry in Botswana. Its membership is widespread to include mining as well as minerals exploration companies together with mining contracting and large suppliers

ABOUT MAC

The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members account for most of Canada’s production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal and mined oil sands, and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Please visit www.mining.ca[1].

ABOUT TSM

The Towards Sustainable Mining® initiative is a sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada. Mining companies are expected to report regularly on the implementation of each protocol. In addition, their activities will be evaluated by an external auditor every three years. Please visit: www.mining.ca/tsm[2].